5 year housing land supply
According to the definition in the National Planning Policy Framework and associated guidance, the 5 year land supply is a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide 5 years of housing (and appropriate buffer). This is against a housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies, or against a local housing need figure, using the standard method.
Medway's 5 year housing land supply as of 31 March 2024 stands at 3.1 years.
Requirement
| Annual requirement as of 31 March 2024 | 1,594 dwellings |
|---|---|
| 5 year requirement (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029) | 7,970 dwellings |
| Total requirement (with 20% buffer) | 9,564 dwellings (1,913 dwellings per year) |
Supply
| Large sites (sites with 5 or more dwellings) | 5,102 dwellings |
|---|---|
| Small sites (sites with under 5 dwellings) | 272 dwellings |
| Windfall allowance (281 per year in years 4 and 5) | 562 dwellings |
| Total supply | 5,936 dwellings |
Results
| Years supply (in years) | 3.1 |
|---|---|
| Surplus or deficit | -3,628 dwellings |
Details of the specific sites which make up this land supply and the wider trajectory of delivery over the next 15 years are published in the 2024 Authority Monitoring Report (AMR). However, please note the annual requirement figure is different to what was quoted originally in the 2024 AMR because after it was submitted to Cabinet in December 2024, government updated the standard methodology calculation, changing the requirement as at 31 March 2024 from 1,658 dwellings per annum to 1,594.
The local housing need figure as of 31 March 2025 has risen to 1,636 dwellings per annum. Once the current annual survey and phased trajectory of development sites has been carried out, a 5 year land supply calculation will be made as part of the 2025 AMR. This will be published in December 2025.